The invention relates to a motor vehicle, especially a camper with a cab and a living space and a passageway from cab to living space.
The formation of the living space in the form of so called "pick-up mountings" for mounting on a pick-up vehicle is known and is especially popular in the United States. The camping mountings are known and are, however, very limited in their spaciousness and are consequently uncomfortable, or they are so large that they either extend beyond the roof of the cab as well as beyond the rear length of the vehicle. The latter constructions make the vehicle extremely subject to wind forces and because of the heavy weight very difficult to maneuver. Furthermore, the latter construction requires a lot of material since it is very voluminous. The manoeuvrability is further greatly reduced because of the height of the construction which elevates the center of gravity of the vehicle. Finally, the wind resistance is relatively high because of the height of the construction, which has the result that the fuel consumption increases correspondingly.
Therefore, this invention has the object to create a pick up mounting, which is easily installed and which inspite of reduced dimensions either does not extend or barely extends beyond the dimensions of the vehicle while including a living space with a large interior volume, especially an area with standing room height.
This objective is surprisingly accomplished in the simple manner by forming the living space by a camping addition which is fastened on the loading area of the motor vehicle and which has a recess in its bottom which matches a corresponding recess in the loading surface of the motor vehicle when the addition is mounted immediately adjacent to the cab and forms a tub-like depression in the area of the recess having a large clear height (standing height) in the interior of the addition, that is the living space.
The crux of the invention is the fact that the interior space of the camping mounting or addition which forms the living space is enlarged "downward". This eliminates the requirement of a so called "upper roof" which is relatively demanding in its construction as well as in its handling. Of course, this does not exclude the additional installation of a conventional upper roof.
The construction in accordance with this invention is especially suited in contrast to known constructions. For example in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 3,719,244, owners of very small motor vehicles with relatively small loading area or motor cars with loading areas find it is difficult to install a high mounting or addition, especially one that guarantees standing room. In this invention, one only has to devise a recess in the loading surface behind the cab which can be closed after the removing of the camping mounting by means of a lid or the like.
All other known solutions add to the height of the vehicle in contrast to this invention and its solution (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,736,019; 3,489,454; 3,659,894). The space below the load platform of so called pick-up trucks is not utilized in the known solutions.
The tub-like depression of this invention immediately adjacent to the cab considerably facilitates entrance into the interior of the camping mounting from the cab since the person's legs can immediately be stretched downwards, so that the person can reach the living space from the cab of the motor vehicle essentially in an upright posture.
The upper edge of the depression is preferrably equipped with pads for seating.
The invented construction is especially advantageous for a vehicle with a closed load space immediately behind the cab and under the load surface (for example on VW light carriages). In this case the tub-like depression extends into the load space where preferrably the bottom of the load space forms the bottom of the depression. This, however, does not have to be so if the downward extending depression is formed by a closed tub which is fitted to the bottom of the camping mount or which is fastened in a removable manner.
The cabs of very small vehicles, station wagons, back-seat wagons, which are suitable for the described camping additions, are generally equipped with benches for seating. Such a bench makes it difficult to enter into the living space from the cab. The cab therefore would have to be equipped with single seats spaced relatively far apart from one another to obtain an easier access to the living space. The space between the two individual seats must be kept open to reach the living space from the cab and vice versa while the vehicle is being driven. It is disadvantageous however that this space between the two individual seats is lost space, especially because a third person cannot be seated in the cab. These disadvantages can be avoided in a motor vehicle while maintaining a passageway from cab to the living space between the driver and passenger seats by placing the driver and passenger seat sufficiently away from one another so that a third seat can be installed between them, and providing a third seat that is a folding seat which can be pushed or moved behind the driver and passenger seats; that is, between them and the back wall. This seat design, of course, can not only be used in a vehicle with the above described camping addition, but can generally be used for mobile homes with cab and living space and with a passageway from cab to living space.
The seating arrangement of the invention also elegantly connects the advantages of the seating bench with the advantages of individual seats. At least three persons can sit next to each other in the cab where simultaneous side restraint for the passenger and the driver is guaranteed by proper design of the individual seats. Especially during traffic accidents it has been shown that the seats which lack side restraints have resulted in injuries which otherwise could have been avoided. These disadvantages can be avoided in a simple way by means of the invented seat arrangement.
Preferrably the driver seat as well as the passenger seat are contour seats with side pads on seat and back.
In this respect it is preferred that the side pads be of a symmetric cross section so that the third seat, that is the center seat, when in use has the comfort of the contoured seat.
The claims given below describe in more detail the preferred constructive development regarding the camping addition and the connection with the motor vehicle in accordance with the seat arrangement of this invention.